Felix Maradiaga, Bianca Jagger, Andrea Cornwall, Professor Carol Tan

The event ‘Daniel Ortega’s ‘Shoot to Kill’ Policy: A Revolution Betrayed’ will look at recent anti-government protests in Nicaragua and subsequent human rights abuses and torture by the government. Bianca Jagger and the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation have been protesting and lobbying for change in the wake of these events and Ms Jagger has spoken and campaigned widely. This has assisted in the imposition of sanctions on Nicaragua's Vice-President Rosario Murillo. The foundation is also campaigning widely for the release of a number Nicaraguan students imprisoned for protesting peacefully against the government.

Bianca Jagger has dedicated her life to campaigning for human rights, civil liberties, peace, social justice and environmental protection throughout the world. She was born in Managua, Nicaragua. She left her native country to study political science in Paris with a scholarship from the French Government. In 2005 she founded the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation (BJHRF). She is Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador, a Member of the Executive Director’s Leadership Council for Amnesty International USA and IUCN Bonn Challenge Ambassador. Bianca Jagger is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including The Right Livelihood Award (2004) also known as the ‘alternative Nobel prize,’ The United Nations Earth Day International Award (1994), The Amnesty International USA Media Spotlight Award for Leadership (1997), and the American Civil Liberties Union Award (1998) amongst others.

Ms Jagger has been awarded four doctorates, honoris causa: a Doctorate of Human Rights from Roehampton University, London 2017, a Doctorate in Law from the University of East London in 2010, a Doctorate of Human Rights from Simmons College, Boston in 2008; and a Doctorate of Humanities from Stonehill College, Massachusetts in 1983.

Felix Maradiaga is a Nicaraguan academic and social entrepreneur, currently recognized as one of the main opposition voices to the Ortega regime. After serving as Secretary General of Nicaragua’s Ministry of Defense (2002 – 2006), Felix dedicated himself to strengthening peace, democracy, and the rule of law in his country. He is currently Director of the Institute of Strategic Studies and Public Policies (IEEPP, one of the top think tanks in Latin America according to the U-Penn Global Think Tank Index) and has previously led several civil society organizations. He is a widely published author on Central American Affairs and holds master’s degrees in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and in Renewable Energy Engineering from the University of Barcelona. Felix is a member of the World Economic Forum and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. In 2016, Forbes Magazine named him one of Central America’s most influential people.